Controlling-member attachment



May 8, 1923.

L. J. COBUS CONTROLLING MEMBER ATTACHMENT Filed May 16, 1921 fill/Ill] INVENTOR.

L.liWI"E'1'lI3E lEmhUs ATTORNEY.

, Patented May 3, EQZE,

whit ETS LAWRENCE J. COBUS, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

CONTROLLING-MEMBER ATTACHMENT.

I Application filed May 16,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LAWRENCE J. CoBUs, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of lVisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Controlling- Member Attachments, of which the following is a description, reference bein had to the accompanying drawings, whici are a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in controlling members and refers more particularly to an attachment therefor. Many serious accidents result in the operation of vehicles, aeroplanes, motor boats or the like, due to the slipping of the operators hands from the controlling member at some critical moment, and often also due to the operators hands becoming benumbered in the case of cold weather.

Hence with the above and other objections to the existing types of controlling members in mind, my invention has for one of its objects to provide a shield or guard part overlying the hand grip part, whereby the accidental slipping of the controlling member through the hands of the operator is prevented. 1

Another object of this invention is to provide means whereby the hand grip part.

of the controlling member, the shield or guard, or both the hand grip part and shield or guard. are heated to safeguard the operators hands against becoming numb, due to cold climatic conditions.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an attachment of the class described which may be made integral with the controlling member. or which may be in the form of a separate unit, detachably connectible to the controlling member.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a device of the class described, which will not in any manner mar the general neat and attractive appearance of the controlling member to which it is applied, and which will serve its purposes in a highly satisfactory manner.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended cla ms, it being understood that 1921. Serial No. 470,155.

physical embodiment of my invention constructed according to the best mode I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

. Figure 1 is a top plan View of a steering or controlling wheel, equipped with my invention, part thereof being broken away and in section to illustrate structural de tails;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken through Figure 1 on the line 2-2;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view, part in sectionand part in elevation illustrating a slightly modified form of my invention, in which the shield or guard attachment is illustrated as being removably secured to the steering or controlling wheel;

Figure 4 is a view of the upper portion of an aeroplane joy-stick, illustrating my invention as applied thereto, and

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken transversely through Figure 4 on the plane of line 5-5.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral 6 represents, in Figures 1 to 3, a controlling member in the form of a steering wheel to which my improved attachment is applied. In Figures 1 and 2, the steering wheel is illustrated as formed with a tubular or hollow rim 7 adapted to be connected with a suitable source of heated fluid through the spokes 8. The spokes 8 are connected in any manner with the source of fluid supply which may be the hot exhaust gases, or the hot water taken from the cooling system of the engine with which the controlling member is utilized.

Guard or shield members 9 are formed integral with the rim of the controlling member at opposed sides and have their medial portions spaced from the inner periphery of the rim 7 to provide recesses 10, in which the hands of the operator are positioned when driving. The shields 9 are also tubular or hollow and communicate at each end with the interior of the rim 7 whereb the heating medium, supplied to the whee rim, will also pass through the interior of the shields and insure the protection of the operators hands.

In Figure 3 a slightly modified form of my invention is illustrated in which the guards or shields 9 are independent of the controlling member and detachably secured thereto by suitable fastening means 11. lit will be readily appreciated that in place of fluids for heating the shields or guards, any other suitable medium may be employed and in Figure 3 a resistance or heating coil 12 is illustrated as positioned in each shield or guard 9 and connectible with a suitable source of electric supply (not shown) by conductors 13.

In Figure 4 and 5 l have illustrated still a further modification of my invention in which the controlling member is the joy-stick li of an aeroplane and the joy-stick has been illustrated as tubular for connection with a source of heating medium (not shown) to warm up the hand grip part 15 at the upper end of the stick.v

A shield or guard 16 similar to the shield or guard 9, is carried by a joy-stick hand grip part and overlies the sameto form a hand receiving recess 17, the shield on guard being illustrated as hollow and communicating with the interior of the joy-stick to supply the same with the hot fluid.

It will be appreciated that in place of the use of fluid to heat the hand grip part or the shield, any other medium may be utilized as illustrated in Figure 3.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which an invention ate-ale of'this character appertains, that 1 provide means for insuring the positive grip by the operator of the controlling member and eliminate, as far as possible the accidental release of the controlling member due to slipping of the operators hands and also that means are provided for shielding or protecting the operators hands against the elements and preventing them from becoming benumbed irrespective of how cold the weather may be.

What it claim as my invention is:

1. In a device of the class described. the combination with a controlling member having a hand grip part, of a tubular hand shield overlying the hand gripv part and spaced therefrom to provide a hand receiving recess, said hand shield being connectib'le with a source of heat supply.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with an annular controlling member having tubular hand grip portions, of shield members cast integral with the rim of the controlling member at opposite points, said shield members having their intermediate portions spaced from the controlling member rim to provide hand receiving recesses, and being connectible with heating means. i I

3. A controlling member including a tubular rim, a tubular shield member formed integral with said rim and having its ends communicating with the interior thereof and its intermediate portion spaced therefrom to provide a hand receiving recess.

in testimony whereof, ll affix my signature.

. LAWRENCE J. COBUS. 

